How can an IPad help NDE research? When will skeptical bloggers begin citing research to support their critiques? Is there a parallel dimension bleeding over into this one where Daryl Bem is the only person in the 21st century to research psi? What will come of $2.3 million dollars in grants for research into the the question of post-mortem survival? These questions and more in this week’s Psi in the News!
- A quick reminder that Ed May and Joseph McMoneagle will be speaking at the Rhine Research Center on May 31st and June 1st. Their presentation will go over some of the history of the U.S. government’s “psychic spy” program, and will provide 6 hours of Remote Viewing training from two of the leading figures in the field. (Rhine Research Center)
- On June 1st in London, David Furlong will chair a one day conference on “spirit release” therapy, which is a secular spiritual form of exorcism. While it may seem like an archaic idea, it was actually a technique that developed along with contemporary ideas of psychology, and maintained some credence until the Freudian and Behaviorist models became more popular. (Spirit Release Forum)
- With the recent release of her second volume of personal accounts from professional parapsychologists, Men and Women of Parapsychology, Personal Reflections Esprit Volume 2, Rosmarie Pilkington discusses what inspired her to start the series and some of the valueable insights she’s gained from her discussions with leading figures in the field. (Examiner)
- John Kruth, Executive Director of the Rhine Research Center was recently interviewed on
WCOM-FM radio to discuss the history of the Rhine, and some of the exciting research currently being conducted there. (Rhine Research Center) - The Immortality Project at UC Riverside has awarded $2.3 million in grants to research related to the afterlife. (UC Riverside)
- Terry Ponick reviews his trip to the Association for Research and Enlightenment, the legacy organization which continues the work of famed American psychic Edgar Cayce. (Washington Times)
- Near Death Experience researcher, Nancy Evans Bush, provides some notes garnered from reading Sanislav and Christina Grof’s book, Beyond Death: The Gates of Consciousness. (Dancing Past the Dark)
- Wagner Alegretti, President of the International Academy of Consciousness, appears on a recent episode of Brazil’s Science & Consciousness to discuss his research into retro-cognition and past life memories. (International Academy of Consciousness)
- Skepticism can be cathartic for experiencers if they treat it properly, as Craig Weiler points out in a new blog post. (Weiler Psi Blog)
- While “I’m not going to even investigate…” may sound like a bold declaration of scholarly disgust, in this article from Ghost Theory it turns into the seed of error as it leads Henry Paterson to create an odd and inaccurate history of remote viewing experimentation. (Ghost Theory)
- Pacific Standard features a second round of inaccuracy with a piece on ESP research. Another example of the “Only positive evidence for psi is Daryl Bem’s study, and he’s wrong” approach to skepticism. (Pacific Standard)
- The other day Matt Staggs, editor of Disinfo, and I were discussing the odd tendency for the psi debate to deteriorate into people tossing “That’s a logical fallacy” back and forth. This isn’t really debating, it’s not an interesting way to write on a topic, nor does it help to get to the heart of what’s really going on. It also often leads to folks quoting James Randi on areas where he’s been called out for lying. Ben Radford’s latest on dowsing turns out to be a perfect example of this, even including a reference to Randi on a topic that the skeptical Arthur C. Clarke called him out on in the 1970’s for Randi’s mangling of statistics to back his claims. Dowing may or may not be real, but in either case articles like this don’t help educate us or foster increased understanding. (Live Science)
- Here’s a link to the webpage Dean Radin set up with downloadable versions of peer reviewed psychical research for those interested in researching the topics they write about. (Dean Radin)
- Pete Hume offers some thoughts on consciousness, survival and materialism in a recent blog post titled The Life of Psi. (Everybody Means Something)
- Using the Ngrams database Marc Demarest is able to demonstrate the rise and fall of interest in Spiritualism, and highlight some lesser known periods of public engagement with the idea. (Chasing Down Emma)
- In a recent interview Dr. Eben Alexander talks about insights gained in the Near Death Experience, and the power that comes from united science and spirituality. Or as the The XXVIII° Degree of the Ancient Scottish Rite puts it Sanctitas, Scientia et Sapientia (Wisdom united to Science, creates a Saint.) (Idaho Mountain Express)
- Derek Beres offers some thoughts on reincarnation, afterlife studies and karma after a visit to Shaktifest, a music festival dedicated to mantra and devotion. (Big Think)
- In a new blog post Near Death Experience researcher Dr. Penny Sartori looks at the CNERIC research protocol for NDE’s which uses a sealed box and an IPAD to test for anomalous information transfer. (Dr. Penny Sartori)
- In an newly uploaded article, Timothy C. Thomason, Northern Arizon University, looks at “The Role of Altered States of Consciousness in Native American Healing.” (Scribd)
- The Felix Cirlcle blog has a brief review of Victor and Wendy Zammit’s new book A Lawyer Presents Evidence for the Afterlife. (Felix Circle)
- Here is a nice list of the various manifestations of mediumship from the Traditional Witchcraft and Occultism blog. While it does little to excite skeptics, traditional folk practices are actually a great place to look at psychical potential in action, as Den Radin will be highlighting in his upcoming book Supernatural, which details psi in light of Buddhist ‘siddhis’ or ‘super powers’ developed during advanced meditation training. (Traditional Witchcraft and Occultism)
- Even the more well known figures of psychical research remain fairly obscure to the public eye, with this in mind Carlos S. Alvarado, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar, Rhine Research Center, has been blogging on some of the even more obscure luminaries who have set the pace for today’s research. (Parapsychology – News, History, Research)
- Sharon Hill of Doubtful News runs us through various words that have been used to denote anomalous experiences. (Huffington Post)
- Although psychical research is often lumped into the spirituality box, most religious authorities aren’t all that interested, or supportive, of scientific investigations that might do more than rude skepticism to unmoor their claims, as highlighted in this recent blog post on CNN’s Religion Blog. (CNN)
- The Spirit Release conference mentioned earlier isn’t the only bit of attention possession is getting these days. The Catholic Church has increased its focus on the practice, as detailed in this new article from Dr. Glenville Ashby. (Jamaica Gleaner)
- In a recent radio piece, the BBC explores the enduring mystery of hallucinations with Geoff Watts. (BBC)
- Feeling stressed about the state of civilization? This might be your chance to see a ghost! Research shows that during periods of social unrest and change. (Huffington Post)
- Are precognitive dreams just the result of misperception and the law of large numbers? Lawrence Brennan’s guest post on Paranormalia details some recent experiences with precognitive dreaming, and presents a subjective report on why such dismissive arguments seem to miss the point. (Paranormalia)
- The other day Matt Staggs, editor of Disinfo, and I were discussing the odd tendency for the psi debate to deteriorate into people tossing “That’s a logical fallacy” back and forth. This isn’t really debating, it’s not an interesting way to write on a topic, nor does it help to get to the heart of what’s really going on. It also often leads to folks quoting James Randi on areas where he’s been called out for lying. Ben Radford’s latest on dowsing turns out to be a perfect example of this, even including a reference to Randi on a topic that the skeptical Arthur C. Clarke called him out on in the 1970’s for Randi’s mangling of statistics to back his claims. (Live Science)
- Artificial Intelligence researcher turned psychical investigator, Maureen Caudill, discusses the evidence for Near Death Experiences being more than just a hallucinatory trick of the mind. (Science of Psychic Phenomena)
Note: Special thanks to Tom Ruffles, of the Society for Psychical Research, John Kruth, of the Rhine Research Center, and Jack Hunter, Editor at Paranthropology Journal, for a number of links included in this edition of Reality Sandwich’s Psi in the News.
